More than 56,000 U.S. patents were granted in the first quarter, indicating “a significant upswing in innovation across a variety of industries,” reports Alibaba.com Ltd, an investment holding company.

Alibaba that has introduced the quarterly Inventor’s Index to track marketplace trends through U.S. patent filings and buyer inquiries.

Among the quarterly details:

25,312 inventors were named on more than one patent

Australian Kia Silverbrook, founder of Silverbrook Research, tops the investors’ list with 192 patents (He’s the world’s most prolific inventor with 3,916 U.S. utility patents and 8,987 patents or patent applications worldwide.)

California leads all other states and countries in the number of patents granted with 27,337 in 2010. Orange County companies are granted, on average, 200 patents a month, Itchkawitz says.

The U.S. is not alone in rising numbers of patents, according to Alibaba Ltd. The World Intellectual Property Organization and the European Patent Office also report increased numbers of applications in 2010.

Growth in patents should be good news for the long-term future of the global economy, given the vital role that patents play in industrial innovation, the Alibaba report says.

Certain sectors are getting the most buyer attention, the report says. Here are the product categories getting the most imquiries:

Machinery 10%

Automobiles and motorcycles 5%

Apparel 4%

Construction and real estate 4%

Beauty and personal care 4%

Chemicals 4%

Health and medical 4%

Minerals and metallurgy 3%

Electrical equipment and supplies 3%

Timepieces, jewelry, eyewear 3%

“With the increasing demand for unique, branded products and an uptick in consumer spending, now’s the time to bring that new idea or improved product to market,” said Annie Xu, general manager of Alibaba.com in the United States.